Forms of Industrial Organization
To understand Microeconomics it is imperative to understand the respective industries in which businesses operate. Classified into four distinct market structures, industrial organizations lack any kind of homogeny or consistency that would group them together. The four models are pure monopoly, oligopoly, monopolistic competition, and perfect competition. To begin, these market structures vary according to the number of firms in the structure, product type (similar or different), ease of entry, control over price, and marketing strategy (McConnell, Brue, & Flynn, 2009). For this reason, this discussion will focus on four contemporary firms that exemplify the respective differences in competing structures concluding with a summary of how a conceptualized industry evolves through the four structures during its product life-cycle. Pure Monopoly Structure A pure monopoly company does not always fit the description of a company who has no competition or close substitute. The label of a monopolistic company often follows companies such as Microsoft, even when there are similar products in the market. Microsoft currently holds approximately 90% of market share, whereas competing firms like Macintosh and Linux are close in substitution. Although consumers have the option to purchase systems such as Linux and Macintosh, they seem to choose Microsoft. The article Microsoft's Aggressive New Pricing Strategy, describes an approach that Microsoft took recently in lowering their profit margin to satisfy their quest for new growth opportunity. In this article, Peter Burrows (2009), states that Microsoft’s idea to lower prices on software is a strategic plan to increase profit margins in the future. By lowering prices, Microsoft is taking advantage of their hierarchy in the market. Because they can afford to take a hit in profit,